Manufacture of pentavalent antimony compounds



atented Dec. 18, I934 PM: EN-r OFFICE MANUFACTURE OF PENTAVALENT ANTI- MONY COMPOUNDS Albert Leon Henne, Columbus, Ohio, assignor, by

mesne assignments, to General Motors Corporation, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application June 5, 1931, Serial No. 542,468. Renewed January 9, 1934 11 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of a pentavalent antimony compound containing fluorine and another halogen.

The objects of my invention are to'provide an improved method of manufacturing a pentavar solves the SbFs.

lent antimony compound, substantially of the formula SbFsXz where X is any halogen other than fluorine, by interacting a halogen with a solution of antimony trifluoride in antimony trichloride and/or antimony pentachloride.

As a specific example of one mode of carrying out my invention, I mix about 10 pounds of antimony trichloride with 90 pounds of antimony trifiuoride. The mixture is slightly heated. At substantially 70 C. the antimony trichloride be gins to melt and gradually dissolves the antimony trifiuoride. Chlorine is then interacted with the solution forming antimony trifluorodichloride and antimony pentachloride.

The reaction is substantially as follows:

The reaction is carried to completion in about two hours.

In the above mode, chlorine may be interacted with the mixture of SbFs and SbCl3 without first heating to the melting point of SbCls. In this instance, the interaction of the chlorine with the SbFs and the SbCls will produce sufficient heat to gradually melt the SbC13 to dissolve the SbFs therein. i

A second mode of carrying out my process consists in adding about 90 pounds of SbFs to about 10 pounds of SbCl5. The SbCls gradually dis- Chlorine is interacted with the solution to form SbFsClz. The reaction goes to completion in about two hours.

This reaction is substantially as follows:

In both of the above modes, the interaction between the chlorine and the other reactants produces sufiicient heat to maintain the mass at reacting temperatures without the application r of external heat.

Corresponding compounds containing bromine and/or iodine, such as SbFsBrz and SbF3I2 are obtained in place of the chloro compounds by interacting a solution of SbFs in SbCls and/or SbBrs with bromine and/or iodine respectively.

Interaction takes place according to the following formula:

Heretofore in the manufacture of compounds having the formula SbFsXz, where X is a halogen other than fluorine, the halogen has been interacted with the solid SbF3. This reaction, although it has successfully produced the desired compound, has had practical disadvantages. For example, the reaction has taken place very slowly and with considerable foaming and has not been carried to completion. By my process the difficulties encountered in working with a solid material such as SbFs are overcome. Consequently, the reaction is carried to completion in a short time and without any foaming.

The mixture including the compound SbFsXz, where X is a halogen other than fluorine, obtained from the above reactions may be used directly as a fiuorating agent in the production of halo-fluoro derivatives of aliphatic hydrocarbons. Or, if desired, the compound SbF3X2, where X is a halogen other than fluorine, may be separated from the other compound contained in the final mixture by distillation.

The term solvent as used throughout the specification and claims is intended to include only those compounds such as SbClz or SbCl5 which do not materially react with or damage the solute and do not form with the chlorine or other halogen, compounds difilcult to separate from the pentavalent antimony compound formed.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. Process which comprises dissolving SbFa in a solvent and interacting the solution with a halogen other than fluorine to form SbFaXz Where X is the halogen used in the reaction.

2. Process which comprises dissolving SbFs in SbCls and interacting the solution with a halogen other than fluorine to form SbFsXz where X is the halogen used in the reaction.

3. Process which comprises dissolving SbFs in SbCls and interacting the solution with chlorine to form SbFsClz.

4. Process which comprises dissolving SbF3 in SbBls and interacting with Br to form SbF'sBlz. 50

5. Process which comprises dissolving SbF3 in SbCls and interacting the solution with chlorine to form a pentavalent antimony compound containing two halogens.

6. Process which comprises dissolving SbFs in SbClz and interacting the solution with a halogen other than fluorine to obtain a pentavalent antimony compound containing two halogens.

'7. Process which comprises dissolving SbFa in SbC15 and interacting the solution with a halogen other than fluorine to obtain a pentavalent antimony compound containing two halogens.

8. Process which comprises dissolving SbFa in an antimony halide other than a fluoride and interacting the solution with a halogen other than 

